Container lid

ABSTRACT

A container lid of flexible material having a depending container engaging side wall and a raised top surface. The depending container engaging side wall is formed with an inner bead and a resilient outer flange that respectively engages inner and outer edges of a rolled top rim of a container to clamp the lid on the container and that insures simultaneous and similar distortion of the lid and the container top. The top of the lid is made to accommodate a container stacked thereon and the lid will serve as a tray for foods and the like.

[ Oct. 14, 1975 154] CONTAINER LID [76] Inventor: Stanford W. Bird, 745 three Fountains Circle, Salt Lake City,

Utah 84107 [22] Filed: Mar. 22, 1973 [21] App]. No: 343,902

3,448,888 6/1969 Smith et a1 220/60 R 3,484,015 12/1969 Rowan 220/44 R 3,583,596 6/1971 Brewer... 220/60 R 3,598,271 8/1971 Ho1ley.... 220/60 R 3,722,784 3/1973 7 Harper.... 229/43 3,737,068

Primary Exam'irzerWilliam 1. Price Assistant Examiner-Allan N. Shoap Attorney, Agent, or FirmCriddle & Thorpe ABSIRACT A container lid of flexible material having a depending container engaging side wall and a raised top surface.

3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures [52] US. Cl. 220/306; 220/367; 229/43 [51] Int. Cl. ..B65D 51/16; B65D 43/10; B65D 41/16 [58] Field of Search 220/60 R, 27, 44 R, 42 E, 220/90.2, 90.4, 306, 367; 229/43, 7 S

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,048,317 8/1962 Cochrane 220/60 R 3,065,875 11/1962 Negoro 220/60 R 3,101,864 8/1963 Glickman 220/60 R 3,171,580 3/1965 Davis et a1. 220/27 3,176,868 4/1965 Crisci..... 220/60 R 3,206,059 9/1965 Fead et al. 229/43 3,246,786 4/1966 Holley 220/60 R 3,384,265 5/1968 Frank 229/43 Bird 220/60 R US. Patent Oct. 14, 1975 3,912,118

CONTAINER LID BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION attractively display the food while at the same time providing for convenience; of handling.

In the past, many bucket-type containers have been developed and used in the marketing of the food items.

Such bucket-type containers have frequently been made of cardboardor other such easily fonned, low cost and grease absorbing material and generally have included a snap-in or snap-on lid of the same or a different material, such as -plastic. These known lids have frequently been difficult to position on the container, or have fallen from the container after being positioned thereon, as the container is subjected to normal handling. Some, flat snap-in type lids have been too difficult to remove and, there has not, to my knowledge, heretofore been available a lid that .will easily seal such bucket-type containers, maintain the seal during normal handling, still be easily removed, when desired by the user, and that will additionally function as a serving bowl.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Principal objects of the present invention are to provide a lid, suitable for use on bucket-type food containers and the like having semi-rigid walls and an open upper end with a surrounding rim.

Other objects are to provide such a lid configured such that it can be readily and inexpensively formed from thermoplastic materials; that will readily snap onto a bucket-type contain er rim; that will be considerably more difficult to remove from than to install on a container; and that will not pop off the container when the container is tipped, squeezed or otherwise handled during usage.

Still other objects are to provide a lid that will allow attractive display of goods in the container on which the lid is installed; secure stacking of another container thereon; ready exit of steam from the contained food; and use as a serving bowl.

Principal features of the invention include a flexible side wall depending from a rimmed top and having an inner bead and a resilient outer flange, adapted to respectively engage inner and outer edges of a rolled top rim of a bucket-type container. The outer flange has spaced, inwardly projecting lips to hold the lid on the container and the inner bead insures matching distortion of the container and lid. The rimmed top has inwardly projecting bosses with holes in the ends thereof through which steam can escape from the container. The bosses prevent escape of grease, etc. when the lid is removed from the container and is used as a serving bowl.

Additional objects and features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken together with the accompanying drawings.

v 11-112 DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of the lid of the invention installed on a bucket-type container;

FIG. 2, a top plan view of the lid;

FIG. 3, a vertical section taken on the line 33 of FIG. 1; and 1 FIG. "4, a perspective view,

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring now to the drawings:

In the illustrated preferred embodiment, the lid of the invention shown ge'nerally'at l0 and made in one piece from a suitable strong, flexible material such as plastic, is adapted to be installed, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, on a bucket-type container 11. 1

The container 11 has a rolled, outwardly turned upper edge 12 defining a generally circular container mouth. A side wall 13 extends downwardly from edge 12 to an inwardly rolled edge 14, on which there is positioned aflat bottom 15. i

Lid l0 includes'a peripheral side wall 16 extending from a rimmed top, shown generally at 17. A rim 18 formed at the'top of 'wall 16 extends above and around a generally flat base surface 19 having spaced bosses 20 projecting therefrom into the area surrounded by the wall. Holes 21 are formed in ends of the bosses 20 for purposes which will hereinafter become apparent.

The edge of wall 16 opposite to rim 18 is formed to have an inner bead 22 and an outer flange 23. The inner bead is preferably formed by reversely turning the wall 16 and the outer flange 23 is formed as a continuation of and is integral with the outwardly flaring wall 16.

Elongate projections 24 are spaced around the outer flange and project inwardly to snap under edge 12 when the lid is installed on the container 11, as shown in FIG. 3.

Outer flange 23 terminates in an outwardly flared rim looking into the lid.

25 that is sufficiently spaced from the container 11 to allow fingers to be placed thereunder during removal of lid 10 from container 11.

To provide strength to the lid 10 and for decorative purposes, a portion of wall 16 is provided with side-byside roll pleats 26 that terminate at rim 18. The pleated configuration provides columnar strength to the side wall and strengthens it against buckling as the lid is installed, handled and used as a support for other items stacked thereon.

The holes 21 allow steam to escape from the interior of container 1 1 when hot foods are placed therein and, since the holes are provided in the ends of bosses 20, the lid 10 can conveniently be used as a serving dish without grease from the foods being served running through the holes. Thus, foods such as fried chicken, buttered rolls, and french fried potatoes can be served in the inverted lid, and while some small amount of grease or small pieces of greasy food may possibly fall directly through the holes 21, the greatest amount of these items will collect on surface 10, within wall 16 and surrounding the bosses.

As previously noted, wall 16 flares outwardly from flat surface 19. Thus, when the lid is placed on container 11 with the elongate projections resting on top I of rolled edge 12 and pressure is applied to the flat surface 19 or to rim 18 the wall 16 cams further outwardly until the elongate projections 24 move over the edge 12. The inner bead 22 and the outer flange 23 then engage opposite sides of edge 12, and flange 23 and elongate projections 24 engage opposite sides of edge 12 to clamp the lid to the container. If the side wall of the container is defomied, as it may be by a person carrying the container, the inner bead and flange 23 remain in contact with edge 12 to deform the lid in conformance with the deformation of the container. The lid, therefore, does not separate from the container as the container is handled.

The lid is removed from container 11 by inserting fingers beneath flange 23 in the area of an elongate projection 24 and prying out and up (when the lid is above the container). Generally, such prying action must occur adjacent to two of the spaced elongate projections 24, before the lid will readily separate from the containenThus, while the lid is readily installed on the container, merely by positioning it and applying a slight central pressure, it is much more difficult to remove. Accordingly, very little time and effort is required to protect food items packaged in the container, but the items remain protected until a deliberate effort is made to remove the lid.

Although a preferred form of my invention has been herein disclosed, the present disclosure is made by way of example and variations are possible without departing from the subject matter coming within the scope of the following claims, which subject matter I regard as my invention.

I claim: 1. A one-piece lid for a container comprising a flat base surface;

a wall flaring outwardly from said flat base portion whereby said flat base portion and said wall form a dish, said wall terminating in an inner bead and an outer flange spaced from, but connected to said head;

elongate projections spaced around the outer flange and projecting inwardly therefrom;

spaced bosses formed in the flat base portion and projecting therefrom into the dish formed by the flat base portion and the wall; and

unobstructed openings through the bosses a spaced dis? tance above the flat base portion when the lid has the wall extending upwardly such that the lid forms a dish.

2. A one-piece lid as in claim 1, further including a rim surrounding the flat base surface at a side thereof opposite to the outwardly flared wall, whereby objects can be stacked on said flat base surface, within the rim.

3. A one-piece lid as in claim 2, wherein the wall has side-by-side pleats formed in at least a portion thereof,

said pleats terminating at the rim. 

1. A one-piece lid for a container comprising a flat base surface; a wall flaring outwardly from said flat base portion whereby said flat base portion and said wall form a dish, said wall terminating in an inner bead and an outer flange spaced from, but connected to said bead; elongate projections spaced around the outer flange and projecting inwardly therefrom; spaced bosses formed in the flat base portion and projecting therefrom into the dish formed by the flat base portion and the wall; and unobstructed openings through the bosses a spaced distance above the flat base portion when the lid has the wall extending upwardly such that the lid forms a dish.
 2. A one-piece lid as in claim 1, further including a rim surrounding the flat base surface at a side thereof opposite to the outwardly flared wall, whereby objects can be stacked on said flat base surface, within the rim.
 3. A one-piece lid as in claim 2, wherein the wall has side-by-side pleats formed in at least a portion thereof, said pleats terminating at the rim. 